The Soundtrack Collaboration
by Skyress8619
Summary: Summary in first chapter. Rated T for possible graphical violence and blood.
1. Beginning Author's Note

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**Skyress8619: Greetings, readers, and welcome to the Soundtrack Collaboration. Before you all start to create confused noises, and that includes the Elgang, allow me to explain. **

**Elgang: …**

**Skyress8619: The Soundtrack Collaboration is a collection of stories that I composed from listening to the soundtrack of Elsword. I listen to the music (or at least play it in my head if I am writing during class) and I generate a scene, taking into consideration how the story has progressed, who has joined the Elgang and where the music plays. I then write and post. **

**Skyress8619: This story is going to be a huge piece of work as there are at least 80 pieces in the patch files of Elsword, but I will be combining some. For example, both pieces for Elesis' story will be combined into one chapter, and so will the two pieces for Halls of Water. **

**Skyress8619: Some pieces also play in more than one occasion. In this case, all instances will be combined into one chapter. For example, the music of Temple of Trials also plays in the second half of Magmanta's Cave. I will write scenes for both dungeons. This also applies to boss battles. **

**Skyress8619: If you are wondering, I will be using every single piece of music that is in Elsword, even those released in KR Elsword (this includes Field Boss Raid, Ereda Island and Add's story). This also means I will be writing about the pieces used in the Sparring Room, Free Training and the Character Selection screen, which is mainly there to challenge my imagination and also for your entertainment. Music used for event dungeons will not be used. **

**Skyress8619: The reason why I am putting up a big Author's Note as the first chapter of this story is because I will be writing multiple chapters at a time, and I do not know which one will be the first to completion. Also, these chapters will be raw to speed up the update time, but as a result there may be errors in grammar and such. **

**Skyress8619: I will name the chapters according to where they play, and will put a maximum of two instances. For example, the boss music used for Banthus in Banthus cave will only be called "Banthus, Crow Rider" even though the piece is used for other bosses as well such as Leviathan and Ignis, Chieftan Trockta and Wally No. 9. **

**Skyress8619: I will work on this story while I have writer's block, which I have for the Killing fanfic. My profile has further details on this story. I will begin posting it after my beta-reader has finished with the first and third chapter, but this story will be updating extremely slowly due to writer's block and the time it takes to write it. **

**Skyress8619: Before I begin posting after this Author's Note, I need to put a disclaimer here. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword. Elsword is owned by KOG Studios and its publishers, such as Nexon and Kill3rCombo. **

**Skyress8619: The first actual chapter of this story will be posted after this Author's Note. A word of thanks to CanofAxe for notifying me that I was not allowed to post just Author's Notes as per the Guidelines, so I wrote the first chapter so I could post. So… enjoy. **


	2. Clock Tower Square

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**Skyress8619: Greetings, and welcome to a chapter of the Soundtrack Collaboration. This music plays in the rest area of Velder known as the Clock Tower Square, an area which was untouched by the demons. **

**Skyress8619: This is personally one of my favourite soundtracks of Elsword, mainly because of the calming effect that it gives. Music is one of the only things that calm me down, especially if I feel that I am going out of control. This is one of those pieces, and it is also used in one of the Elsword White Day cutscenes, featuring Blade Master and Wind Sneaker. I encourage you to watch it on YouTube if you have not already. This event was only in KR Elsword, but there are English subtitles. **

**Skyress8619: Now, we shall start. **

**Classes:  
Elsword: Lord Knight  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Raven: Blade Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Eve: Code Empress  
(Remember that I am taking location and members of Elgang into account. Chung does not join until Resiam Outskirts in Hamel, and Elesis does not join until the end of Southern Gate)**

The Prosperity Road had been full of demons and dark elves, and for the Elgang to get a closer look at the pillar of darkness that rose from the palace, they needed to fight their way towards it. Finally, after an exhausting day, they arrived at the Clock Tower Square. Memories of Seris and his comrades began to flow into Raven's mind. It had been bustling with people back then, but because of the demons, it was now empty.

But that did not change the fact that it was still a peaceful place. Sometimes, Seris and he would sit next to the clock tower, enjoying the cool night air underneath the stars and the moon. At that time, of course it would be empty; the Blade Master had felt relieved that the pubs of Velder had been elsewhere. Several abandoned stores surrounded the Clock Tower Square; of course the people had evacuated, but still, this area was untouched by the demons.

It had been one of his favourite places to be. Raven had been busy as a Crow Mercenary captain, and at night was the time to relax, and that would be at the Clock Tower Square.  
"Raven? Are you thinking again?" Rena asked, poking the Blade Master in the right shoulder. He snapped out of his memories, turning to face the Wind Sneaker.  
"I was. I'm relieved that it still is like it was years ago…"

"You mean this place?"  
"Yes." They allowed the silence to echo.  
"Now that there aren't any demons here, let's rest. It's been a hard day." Elsword suggested, sitting down on a nearby bench. Aisha did the same. Eve's servants somehow summoned a chair and table. The Nasod queen sat down, with Ophelia serving her tea.

Rena and Raven sat on opposite ends of a bench. Elsword and Aisha had already started a conversation, with Eve joining in. The Blade Master allowed his mind to wander again, and he found himself almost reliving a memory of one night…

_Flashback _

"_Raven?" Seris approached the desk on their house, eyeing the captain. The pile of paperwork he had brought home had halved, but his own energy had obviously diminished significantly, because Raven now slept on his desk, pen still in hand. He did not even stir at his fiancée's words.  
"Raven?" Again there was no response. _

Hmm… He really has been tiring himself out these days. _Seris walked around to Raven's side, gently poking him on the shoulder. His eyes slowly opened, revealing brown orbs.  
"… What happened?" Sleep was still evident in his voice as he straightened up in his chair, obviously confused.  
"You fell asleep while you were doing your paperwork."_

_Her words hit him like a truck. Raven's eyes widened and he frantically scanned the desk to try and find what he was doing before he fell asleep. On the left corner was a pile of papers that had not been done yet. There were several sheets of paper on the desk space in front of him; it was all just one long document of terms before a signature at the bottom of the last page. And then there was a pile on the right corner that had completed papers. _

_The captain tried to remember what he was doing before he drifted off. He was reading the document, he recalled, but he could not remember where exactly he was up to. Still frantic, his eyes skimmed the lines of text in front of him. _Damn it, where was I up to…? It would take too long read the entire thing again… _What if he was up to the last sentence? The way that the papers were organised made no indication of which page he was up to. _

"_Calm down, Raven. You've obviously been tiring yourself out for the past few days. You need a break." Seris suggested. Her fiancée thought about it for a moment.  
"How? I can't even sleep at night because I worry about my comrades for tomorrow and all the urgent paperwork I haven't even done. And if I don't do a proper job, I won't be able to earn enough or I'll get fired…" He buried his face into his hands. _

"_Raven. Just calm down. It really will help, and I know a really peaceful place where we can relax." Seris told him again.  
"Where?"  
"The Clock Tower Square."  
"But it's really busy; there are a lot of shops there."_

"_They're not open at ten thirty in the night." The captain glanced at the clock that was on his desk. She was right.  
"Besides, there's probably no one around, and the pubs are elsewhere, so we won't be meeting anyone who's drunk." Seris continued and Raven stood up.  
"Okay. I'll go." They headed out the door._

_It did not take the two long to reach the Clock Tower Square. The crows were asleep; it was ironic that the captain would be called awake by the loud cawing of the crows every morning. The night was clear, displaying the dark sky where stars were scattered like a small amount of silver glitter. The full moon was overhead, bathing the scene in its light. Most of the streetlights around this area were broken, but it looked like no one had bothered to tell the local council about it. _

_Raven and Seris sat down on one of the benches surrounding the clock tower in the middle, cherishing the cool night air and the silence. The sun was not there to blind them, and there was none of the usual noise that was there when Velder was awake.  
"It really feels nice here…" The captain commented, almost talking to himself.  
"See? You've stopped panicking." _

"_..." Another silence followed. Seris broke it.  
"Raven… I, um…"  
"Yes?"  
"I forgot to bring something warm to wear. I'm cold." He turned to look at her. She was only in shorts and a plain T-shirt. Raven was still in uniform. _

"_Here." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer, sharing his warmth. She blushed, but it was unnoticeable with only the moon's light.  
"… Thanks. Can we stay here for a while longer?" Raven smiled. It was a smile that she had not seen in a few days since his stress levels rose.  
"Why not? I like it here to. We should come here more often." Seris smiled too. _

"_But you need sleep."  
"I…" He really couldn't argue with her. "But let's just leave that tonight. It's not like I have a curfew."  
"I can give you one." She laughed as Raven flushed red.  
"You can't just control me like that! I'm the one who's working here."_

"_Fine. Let's just enjoy this place for now and stop disturbing the silence. We'll worry about your amount of sleep later." Silence ensued, and it stayed until they got up and left half an hour later. _

_Flashback end_

The sun was beginning to set. Unfortunately, all the buildings blocked the majority of the warm hues, but Rena was still content.  
"The sunset is still beautiful here, though. It really is unusual that we get to cherish these kinds of things while there are demons to get rid of." The Wind Sneaker thought aloud. Raven couldn't help but agree.

He had never come here at sunset, mainly because of work, but Seris had suggested doing something like this when he got a small holiday. The opportunity never came. Soon, the sunset was over, and the sky's shade of blue darkened, continuing to darken until it would be all black. Night was approaching.  
"Do you think we'll be able to stay at an abandoned inn? There's one right here." Aisha asked.

"Why not? Besides, there still should be supplies, so we can make dinner ourselves." Elsword answered, standing up. He was followed by the Elemental Master.  
"Rena, Raven, are you guys coming?" The two snapped out of their thoughts and turned towards the Lord Knight.  
"I want to stay here a while longer." The elf spoke.

"Same here."  
"Alright then. We'll be at that inn over there." Elsword pointed towards a building as he began to walk towards it.  
"Oberon, Ophelia, search the inn for anyone. Alert me immediately if there is someone. If not, search for supplies, and I will trust you two to make dinner." Eve told her servants, standing up herself and walking alongside the Lord Knight. Aisha followed too. Oberon and Ophelia dashed inside the inn and disappeared.

It did not take long for an argument to break out between Elsword and Aisha, but Rena and Raven paid no attention. An hour passed by too quickly, and it was already dark. There was a crescent moon this time, but there seemed to be the same amount of stars in the sky. The Wind Sneaker had been silent the entire time, and so had the Blade Master.  
"Um… Raven?" It was almost a whisper, but it was loud enough.

"Yes?"  
"I'm cold, but I still want to stay a little bit longer…" Now that he thought about it, her voice almost imitated that of Seris. Without replying, he shuffled closer, wrapped an arm around Rena and pulled her in. She blushed; luckily there wasn't enough light, or Raven would have seen.

"T-thanks." The Wind Sneaker's words were awkward, but the Blade Master seemed to maintain his calmness.  
"I wanted to stay here longer too. There are a lot of memories here…"  
"Is… is this about her?"  
"Yes. Sometimes the work of a captain got very stressful. She would bring me here to calm down. It always helped." He paused.

"We always came at night, because in the day, Velder would be busy. Being able to sit in silence was something I learned to cherish. And also because the night is much cooler than the day."  
"Well, then let's keep the silence going, until we decide to leave." Less than five minutes past before a familiar voice broke the silence, echoing across the square.

"Hey, Rena, Raven! It's dinner time! You two should eat before the food gets cold." Elsword's mouth was obviously half full. Just as the Wind Sneaker and Blade Master expected, another argument broke out.  
"I thought those two matured." Rena commented with a smile. "Even though they have gotten a bit more serious, they still argue."

"Well, let's go and break them up, then. After we get rid of the demons around here, we can always come back here if we have any spare time." Raven stood up, walking back towards the inn. The elf followed. After they entered the inn, Rena walked over to Elsword and Aisha with her signature smile. The Blade Master paid no attention to them, instead turning back to the Clock Tower Square.

_I'll miss you, Seris. _

**Skyress8619: First chapter complete. I cannot tell any of you which one will be next, though, but it looks like I still have writer's block for the Killing story, which means that progress on that story is still halted. I will notify you when I get back to work on that one. **

**Elsword: But I thought you were pre-writing chapters!**

**Skyress8619: I am. I am waiting for my beta reader to finish working on the first chapter. The second chapter is already ready to be posted, though. And the third chapter is a few paragraphs away from completion, and it is writer's block that is preventing me from doing so. **

**Skyress8619: That seems to be all I have to say for now. I will see you all next time in the next update, or you are welcome to PM me. I do not mind a conversation at all. **

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	3. Battleship

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**Skyress8619: Greetings, readers, and welcome to another chapter of the Soundtrack Collaboration. This time we are doing the music of the ship that runs in between Velder and Hamel. I have yet to get a proper description of it, as I do spend my Elsword time running Secret Dungeons and Henir's Time and Space as fast as I can, instead of going around to these places. I have been in the Battleship before, so I know what it looks like. **

**Skyress8619: Alright. Let us start.**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander  
Eve: Code Empress  
Elesis: Grand Master **

Elsword had never been on a ship before. It had been twenty minutes since the Hamel-destined battleship made its way over the ocean towards the Fluorine continent. Port Lurensia had disappeared behind them not long ago, and the winds seemed to be good. The Rune Slayer looked out on top of the ship, still fascinated by the water. A dolphin came into sight, causing the red-head to stare in wonder.

"Elesis! It's a dolphin!" He jabbed his sister beside him with a finger while pointing at the sea creature.  
"I really never thought we would see one in real life." She commented. Her massive claymore, instead of being beside her, was in a storeroom along with all the other weapons.  
"Let me try something." Elsword splayed his hands towards a space in front of him and held them there. A ring of fire formed.

The dolphin dived down, and the Rune Slayer initially thought that it was not interested at all, but the sea creature came back up, jumping through the ring of fire, before landing into the sea once again.  
"Woah, that was cool." The ring of fire disappeared, and the dolphin continued to follow before again disappearing into the depths of the ocean.  
"They're really just like what they are in the books."

No one paid a worry about Aisha; she was most likely in a cabin immersing herself in books about magic. They had no idea where the books came from, though. Eve was also in one of the cabins, maintaining Oberon and Ophelia. Raven and Rena also stood on the deck with Elsword and Elesis. Raven looked out at the sea ahead of the ship, while Rena was chatting to one of the female crew members; both looked like they were enjoying themselves.

_Well, even though Raven cares about all of us, he still likes to be alone. _The Rune Slayer looked at the figure with long, black hair that sailed with the wind. At first, Elsword recoiled slightly from shock. _Wait… okay, calm down Elsword, it's Raven, he just has long hair, that's all… _  
"Did you think he was one of the crew members?" The Grand Master nudged the Rune Slayer with her elbow.

"Yeah. He looks like a girl from behind." He said aloud, suddenly afraid that he said it too loud.  
"I heard that." The Veteran Commander turned around, giving Elsword a death glare. The latter shuddered before hiding behind his sister.  
"I think the point that Elsword was trying to make was that you should cut your hair to avoid public humiliation." Elesis spoke for her younger sibling.

"Hmm… maybe I should." He answered before turning away. _I don't think he's going to ever cut his hair, anyway._ The Grand Master walked towards the Veteran Commander, almost ignoring her little brother. She finally joined his side.  
"I heard you used to be the captain of the Crow Mercenaries." Elesis had only joined the Elgang recently, and was still learning about the rest of the members.

"Yes, I was a captain."  
"I'm sorry, but can I use this time to ask you questions? I'm still learning about my brother's friends."  
"It's only normal that you ask questions. There is nothing better to do, anyway." There was a pause.

"How old are you?"  
"Twenty seven."  
"Ah, older than me. Which then means that you have much more experience than me. I'm only twenty."  
"I see. I think I could teach you a few things, then. I heard that you were the first leader of the Red Knights, and that they were established under your nickname."

"That is also true. Talking about the time back in Velder before we left, the people seemed to be scared of you. Is it because of your arm?"  
"My arm is part of the reason, but there's also something else, which was about something that happened several years ago when I was captain."  
"Is that the reason why you're not captain now?"

"Precisely."  
"Can I ask what happened?"  
"…" Raven seemed to think for a moment. "They're scared of me most likely because I'm meant to be dead."  
"You're meant to be… dead?" Elesis was clearly surprised.

"But it's a memory I'd rather not recall."  
"Alright, then." Elesis tried to think of something to ask, but found nothing. Instead, she gazed ahead at the ocean, just like Raven was doing. Just watching the waves gave a calming effect. The Grand Master had been angry knowing that they could not save Velder from the demons yet, but this was something that helped her calm down more. It was only now that she properly noticed the red streak in the Veteran Commander's hair.

Rena walked over and stood beside Elesis.  
"Hello, Red Knights Captain."  
"You can just call me Elesis. We're friends." The Grand Master replied with a smile, and the Night Watcher returned it.  
"So, are you a leader too?"

"I am the highest rank of the Night Savers, which is the Night Watcher."  
"Ah, the Night Savers. I have only briefly heard of them, so I do not know much. Isn't the highest rank essentially the leader?"  
"I can't take the leadership role since I'm travelling around, so I handed it back to the previous leader. I think he's better at that role than me."

"Well, you don't know how good you are until you actually lead and have your team members give feedback." There was a pause.  
"Thanks, but I think I'd prefer to be just a fighter, anyway."  
"Aren't you concerned being around men? I mean, I don't mean to offend your clothing, but it is quite revealing."

Rena paused.  
"Oh no, it's perfectly fine. They know they get punished severely for touching me, since I can still defend myself without a weapon." The Night Watcher grinned.  
"Alright. I am still learning names so, let me test myself. You're Rena, right?" The elf nodded to Elesis' question.

"The man who's next to me is Raven?" The elf nodded again. The Veteran Commander ignored the two.  
"The one in the cabin reading books is Aisha, and the one repairing her servants is Eve the Nasod queen?"  
"All correct."  
"Thanks. I hate mixing up people's names."

"I know exactly how that feels. I don't meet up with the Night Savers very often, so I actually barely know any of the other elves there." Rena chuckled, and Elesis joined in.  
"Now, I think we should just enjoy the view here." The Night Watcher said. "You have to learn to cherish these kinds of things." The Grand Master looked back, to find Elsword disappearing down a set of stairs.

"He's probably going to Aisha's room to pester her. He gets bored quite easily." Rena laughed. "Kids these days."  
"Let's just leave them to be." They stayed quiet. Elesis turned towards Raven, whose golden orange eyes seemed unfocussed.  
"Don't worry about him. He gets lost in his thoughts and memories whenever he's in a peaceful environment. Even though he doesn't show much warmth to everyone else, he really is a caring person." Rena explained.

"Ah." _Something terrible must have happened in the path… Unfortunately Velder's capital library was burnt, otherwise I would have been able to find something about the Crow Mercenaries and what happened._ The Grand Master shook her thoughts aside and focussed on the ocean in front of them, and so did the Night Watcher. Time past a lot faster than they had thought; their destination was soon in sight. The capital of the Fluorine Continent, Hamel.

**Skyress8619: The first thing that came into my mind was Raven just standing there, looking out onto the ocean, and of course, thinking. I decided to have all three of the "commanders" up there, which are Night Watcher, Veteran Commander and Grand Master. I initially thought of Raven and Elesis talking about their experiences as a commander, but this was scrapped due to the lack of experience and knowledge as a leader myself. **

**Skyress8619: So, instead of focussing yet again on my favourite character, I decided to put Rena there instead. Also, I did initially plan to have Elesis guess that Raven and Rena have something for each other, or maybe Elsword can tell that to his older sister, but this was also scrapped. Miraculously, this takes me a bit over an hour to write, with the appropriate soundtrack looping over and over. Luckily, the substitute English teacher did not mind us students listening to music as we worked. I really do not like Romeo and Juliet. **

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	4. Wintery Velder, Elrios Bay

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**Skyress8619: Greetings, readers. This chapter is based off the music that plays in the Arena maps Wintery Velder and Elrios Bay. There is pretty much no storyline for these maps, so there is not much to explain, but I will assume that you know what these stages look like. I will state the classes as they change for the instances. I also need to note that since these stages are not affected by storyline, I will put in as many characters as I want. Note that I am not very familiar with Add, so he will be making the least amount of appearances. **

**Wintery Velder**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Dimension Witch  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master  
Eve: Code Empress  
Chung: Iron Paladin  
Ara: Sakra Devanam  
Elesis: Grand Master**

"Is that… snow?" Ara peeked outside the window of her inn room. Sharing a room with her was Elesis.  
"Yes, that's snow; have you never seen snow before?" The Sakra Devanam lit up.  
"Yay! I can finally see snow! It sounds so fun!" She jumped up and down in excitement. The Grand Master smiled.

"Before you rush out, put on a coat. It's very cold out there." Elesis warned, and Ara did as she was told. The two promptly got dressed and headed out into the lobby, where they met up with the rest of the Elgang. They had already eaten breakfast earlier.  
"So, what are we going to do? It's snowing, and it is pretty much our day off, and we can't go shopping because of the snow." Rena asked the group.

They were pretty much in Velder for a shopping trip (the females had insisted, and the males had no choice but to agree. Chung was neutral, Elsword whined, and no one could read Raven's poker face) but the snow had made things a little more inconvenient.  
"Well, why don't we have a snowball fight?" Ara cheered at Aisha's suggestion.  
"Yes please!" The Sakra Devanam lit up, with smiles coming from Elesis and Raven.

"That sounds like a great idea, and we should all join in!" Elsword spoke up.  
"I was going to join in, anyway. I haven't had a snowball fight in a really long time." Rena commented. Everyone knew her town was a short distance south of Ruben, and it barely snowed in Ruben. Chung guessed that the last time was probably several decades back.  
"I'm in." The Iron Paladin grinned.

"Well, whether you participate or not, you guys still need to come with us." Aisha directed her words to Raven, Elesis and Eve. "Raven, do you know any good places? You grew up here."  
"There is a field that I usually trained my men in, but I'm not sure whether it exists at the moment."

"Then let's find out!" The Rune Slayer stood up. "Raven, lead the way."  
The Blade Master rose, and everyone else followed him out the door and through the somewhat winding streets of Velder.  
"I've been here for a long time, and sometimes I still get lost. How do you remember so clearly?" The Grand Master asked the older brother figure.

"I've lived here all my life until that day I was framed. Obviously I would still know. Some things have changed, but it's all very minor. You get used to it." Raven answered while they walked. It did not take the Elgang long to reach a field that seemed unnoticed by the general public. It was a clearing, with old racks for weapons by the side. _It's all still here…_A memory had already begun playing in his mind.

Chung stepped into the snow, and it was enough to cover his shoe and ankle.  
"Guys, let's go!" The Iron Paladin ran towards the middle of the field. The Sakra Devanam followed, picking up a snowball and throwing it at Chung. It soon erupted into a snowball fight, with Elsword, Aisha, Rena, Oberon and Ophelia joining in. Raven, Elesis and Eve still stood on the side of the field.

"They're still kids; we can't blame them. And Rena likes to have fun." Raven commented. "But Ara?"  
"She has never seen snow in her life." Elesis explained. "It probably doesn't snow in Fahrmann. Eve? Did you give your servants permission?"  
"I did. They enjoy these kinds of activities." The Nasod queen answered with her usual monotonous voice. "It is important that you allow your servants to rest, so their performance returns to an optimal level."

There were several moments of silence between the three as they observed the mass of snow throwing in front of them. It appeared that it was everyone for themselves; no alliances had been made. Yet.  
"Raven? Have you ever had a snowball fight when you were a kid?" The Grand Master nudged the Blade Master on his human arm, causing him to snap out of his thoughts.  
"I was thinking about that, actually. I have, and we would do it just to relieve our boredom."

There was another silence before a devious smirk crossed Elesis' face.  
"Why don't we join in? We can form an alliance." A smile curled on Raven's lips.  
"Why not? You can use this snowball fight as practice for on-the-spot strategizing while against larger enemy numbers." The Grand Master held back a groan.  
"Did you actually bother to do that when you were captain?"

"Small things like a snowball fight were tests for a captain, since you were also fighting alongside your soldiers, unlike a general." The Blade Master explained. "But I'm not a captain anymore, and you are a commander of some sort."  
"… Fine. " Raven laughed. The others were too immersed in their snow battle that they didn't hear.

"Well, let's go while we have surprise on our side." They exchanged glances before filling both of their hands with snow, running towards the rest of the Elgang. Elesis threw both snowballs, aiming for Elsword and Chung, who dodged at the last moment. Everyone else realised that the Grand Master and the Blade Master had joined in. Suddenly the atmosphere grew more tense; it was not a good idea to underestimate the two Masters, especially if they were on a team.

The Elgang immediately looked up to see Raven sailing over their heads, throwing snow down at them. Elsword dove to the side, dodging a snowball aimed for his head. Rena performed a backflip kick, throwing snow up into the air in the process and using that as a shield to block the attack. Some of the snow also sprayed forward, covering Chung's Freiturnier in the white powder.

"Hey!" The Iron Paladin aimed a snowball at the Wind Sneaker, who ran off and aimed a snowball at Raven, who had just landed. He dashed to the side to avoid it, scooping snow up in his hands as he went. Elesis continued to charge through the group, also scooping up snow and throwing at anyone who tried to get in her way. Eventually she reached Raven, but the Grand Master knelt down. The Blade Master grinned, already seeing what the plan was.

The snowball fight didn't focus on anyone in particular, and Raven used this as an advantage. Elesis began making a huge snowball, and no one seemed to notice. There were shouts and yells of annoyance from all sides, and Eve was sitting comfortably on a chair, watching the scene with her signature poker face. Everyone assumed that the Nasod servants had brought it along. Oberon and Ophelia both looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves as well.

_It really has been a while since we could take a break…_ Raven smiled to himself. He could already picture he and Elsword sparring in this field, the one that he had used to train his men years ago. _He promised to train every day, but I guess a day off doesn't hurt. Let's hope the demons don't attack any time-_ The Blade Master quickly sidestepped, avoiding a snowball aimed for his face.

Elsword mentally cursed for not being able to see the older brother figure humiliated, and continued to bombard him with snowballs. Raven countered each one, making sure that he didn't have to dodge; otherwise Elesis would get hit and possibly buried in the snow. Another cold projectile sailed centimetres above the Rune Slayer's head, causing him to snap his head in the direction, his eyes leading to Ara.

"Okay, I'm done." The Grand Master smirked, holding up the snowball that was a size comparable to her own claymore. "Thanks for protecting me."  
"You're welcome." The Blade Master filled his hands with snow and charged towards the rest of the Elgang, throwing as he went. He saw a rising shadow; Elesis had jumped up into the air, ready to slam the snowball down on an unlucky target. Raven ran towards Elsword, who was distracted by Aisha.

The Rune Slayer realised who was approaching him and countered the snowballs that the Blade Master, but the older brother figure had no intention of taking him down. _Three…_ Elsword dodged and weaved as well, but Raven aimed near the red-head as well, making sure he didn't move too far from where he was now. The half-Nasod closed more distance. _Two…_

Elsword no longer stood his ground and began running towards Raven, hoping to get nearer and hit him at point blank. There wasn't much distance to move, anyway. _One!_ At the last moment, the Blade Master suddenly leapt back, opening the way for the Grand Master. The Rune Slayer didn't realise until it was too late. The massive snowball came down on him at a terrifying speed, knocking him over and burying his body, making him unable to move. _One down, six to go._

Everyone else froze at the sight of Elsword being beaten so easily. Elesis made a triumphant grin, but she had no snow in her hands, forcing her to land. Raven's hands were also empty, and the remainder of the Elgang bombarded the two with snow, causing the Blade Master and the Grand Master to twist themselves to avoid them. The Masters landed gracefully, quickly gathering more snow before charging forward again.

Oberon and Ophelia had been playing passive before, before they caught the glare of Raven and Elesis. That could only mean one thing, and multiple calculations went through the Nasod's heads at once. The masculine-type began throwing snowballs as fast as it could, turning completely aggressive, while the feminine-type threw from another direction. This forced the advancing two to retreat, and Rena, Chung, Ara and Aisha also began to help the two Nasods.

The snow came too fast for Raven and Elesis to counter, and all they could do was dodge wildly. After a few seconds, the two noticed that all the projectiles were only coming to them in a stream, meaning that they could dodge to the side and out of it. _We'll do it at the same time, but we have to be extremely fast in our advance if we want to do any damage. And we have to do it at the same time._ The Blade Master understood the Grand Master, and nodded.

_They're up to something… and if they're working together, then we can, too!_ Chung thought, but before he could attempt to communicate with Rena, the Masters suddenly dashed out of the stream of snowballs coming at them. Raven boosted forward at a speed that Aisha clearly underestimated, and a snowball that was about to be slammed into her face missed by centimetres.

The tailwind almost caused the Dimension Witch to lose her footing, but the snow helped to keep her upright. As she recovered, the Blade Master turned around, using the rotational momentum to fling all the snow he had at her. The force was enough to knock Aisha over, and she landed on her back, the snow cushioning her fall. She was dazed for a few moments before realising what had just happened, and her anger quickly rose.

Elesis' legs had been trained to carry both her weight and the claymore, and now that her weapon was absent, she could run faster than she usually could in battle. The Grand Master boosted towards the Iron Paladin, who jumped upwards out of the way, his foot almost hitting Elesis in the head. However, she did not lose speed as she quickly changed direction, now aiming for Rena.

The Wind Sneaker again performed a backflip kick, sending a shield of snow in the air in front of her. The Grand Master sidestepped again while not losing speed, attempting to go around the temporary shield. There was no elf there, and Elesis continued to run at the same speed, dodging the snowballs that Rena and Chung were throwing at her from above. _At least Raven managed to take down Aisha._

But they still both had to dodge the constant onslaught of snowballs from Oberon and Ophelia. The Blade Master dodged and weaved, while trying to snow at the also constantly moving Ara. He noticed that she had snow in her hands as well, and prepared for a counterattack. He also noticed that the Sakra Devanam was slowly closing distance, and she would be ready to suddenly strike once she got close enough.

The Grand Master aimed her snowballs in front of Ara, forcing her to jump backwards and retreating. The Masters noticed Rena and Chung closing in. _Have they teamed up as well?_ Raven and Elesis faced the snowballs of their opponents again, dodging and unable to make any offensive moves. _We won't be able to do the same thing again, think of something else… _

The Blade Master waited for the Grand Master to make a signal of some sort. _This is her time to practice, so I shouldn't give any answers._ Finally a somewhat temporary plan seemed to formulate in Elesis' mind, and she gave the sky a small glance. Raven understood, and the two simultaneously leapt into the air, hands full of snow. They threw as hard as they could at Oberon and Ophelia, who reacted by dashing away.

Rena and Chung made larger snowballs while waiting for Raven and Elesis to descend. The two Masters saw this and immediately dashed off to the side to dodge the incoming snowballs, gathering snow in their hands as they went. The Wind Sneaker jumped up into the air, plunging into the ground with both feet and kicking up snow, making a cloud that covered Raven and Elesis.

The Iron Paladin used this as an opportunity to take out the Blade Master and the Grand Master, but the Sakra Devanam cut in, sailing in through the cloud. It was already too late to dodge; Rena's plan backfired and Chung got a giant snowball to the chest, the force sending him across to the side of the field and tumbling into a pile of the white powder. Ara triumphantly smiled, before turning to face the cloud of snow that had faded.

Raven and Elesis ran while throwing at Oberon and Ophelia, noting that the two Nasods worked well with each other. After a few moments stuck in the stalemate of countering snowballs, the masculine-type took out his tonfas and slashed upwards, making sure to catch the snow on the ground. Another cloud was kicked up, completely hiding Oberon and Ophelia. _They may be building something inside that cloud, so we have to be careful._

The cloud soon enveloped the entire field, partially blinding all of the remaining participants of the now-serious snowball fight. _We have to be even more careful of Rena and Ara; they may have teamed up together, and the Wind Sneaker isn't called that for nothing, and we all know how fast the Sakra Devanam is, too._ Raven and Elesis knew that they would be able to see the shadows of their temporary foes, but there was none. _This is bad… are they too far away? Or can we just not see properly?_

The Blade Master whipped around as he felt the tailwind of something rushing past him, and again in front of Elesis. It didn't take long for the two Masters to realise that both of them were being circled, and rapidly. _We're surrounded! It has to be Rena and Ara!_ The Grand Master picked up snow and began to throw forward, but her projectiles did not meet any targets. _If only we could get a view of the entire place…_

_That's it!_ Raven jumped as high as he could into the air, sailing above the cloud of snow that Oberon had made. Under the bright sunlight, the Blade Master saw five shadows. Two were stationary and next to each other; they had to be the Nasods. The one almost directly below him was Elesis, and there were two circling her, getting faster and faster.

The tailwind was already causing a gust that travelled around the Grand Master. The Blade Master couldn't find a way out of the tornado that was being created, and Elesis was also trapped with him. _Damn! We should have kept moving when the cloud came up! Rena must have been able to see us from above._ He had forgotten to take into account that his foes could see him. And so had Elesis. _This'll be a good lesson for her; we cannot assume that our opponents have the same disadvantages as us, even if we know their abilities well. _

Raven landed gracefully next to a panicky Elesis. _There might be still a chance, and it seems the only way they can hit us is with a speed attack. We might be able to dodge it…_  
"Elesis, be careful of speed attack." She didn't answer, but she prepared herself. _But they're going at such a fast speed that they have gathered… _

Two blurs, one orange and one green, came at the two Masters so fast that they were unable to react before it was too late. Raven saw Rena's smirk for a split second right before a snowball slammed into his face. The Wind Sneaker then kicked the Blade Master in the chest, causing him to fly backwards and tumble, gathering snow as he went until he finally halted.

The snowball that Raven had gathered around himself collapsed, leaving him lying dazed in a pile of the white powder. Just as he recovered, his eyes widened as he saw a mix of red and white come towards him. The Blade Master shut his eyes and the Grand Master crashed into him, increasing the size of the pile of snow. He struggled to breathe as now his head was stuck with only his limbs sticking out.

A rush of adrenaline kicked in, and Raven sat up, shaking his head rapidly to get rid of any snow stuck in his hair, which obediently smoothed itself down. Elesis had also recovered and sat up beside him. The next thing that came to the Blade Master was the laughter coming from Elsword, Aisha, Rena, Chung and Ara. The Rune Slayer, Dimension Witch and Iron Paladin were now standing beside the Wind Sneaker and Sakra Devanam, as well as the two Nasods.

"Suck that up, Raven!" The red-head yelled, causing the raven-haired man's rage to rise. _Calm down, Raven. It's just a snowball fight. Elsword's just making a big deal out of it._  
"Elesis was the one playing captain here. I was just following." The Blade Master said back with a smirk.  
"What?" The Grand Master turned to Raven.

"I am no longer a commander, but you are. It was just a simple snowball fight that I was planning to use as a test, and you failed." Elesis had no choice but to go along.  
"Next time," the Blade Master stood up, brushing off the snow from his shirt, coat and pants. "Never underestimate your opponents, even if you know their own abilities. If something on the field disadvantages you, never assume that your opponent also has this disadvantage. They usually use it against you. That is a simple, yet crucial lesson that you have learned today."

Elesis could not deny the fact that Raven had been a captain for longer than she had, and he had more experience.  
"… Alright. I'll take it into note. And are you okay?"  
"Hmm?"  
"You're blushing."

The rest of the Elgang heard it, and Elsword laughed even harder.  
"I'm fine, Elesis. It's just cold, that's all. My head was buried in the snow, after all."  
"Ah. Looks like my brother has yet to understand." The two Masters turned to face the Rune Slayer, shooting him death glares. The younger sibling at first could not take the situation seriously because of Raven's reddened face, but soon he stopped laughing, causing Rena to laugh harder.

Elesis and Raven approached, with the former brushing snow off her clothes. The Wind Sneaker placed a hand on the Blade Master's cheek, causing his posture to stiffen and his eyes to widen. Fortunately for him, his face did not go any redder than it already was.  
"You're just cold. I was just checking to see if you were actually blushing." Rena withdrew her hand.

"Well," Raven recovered quickly. "It's quite impossible for me to blush in this weather, anyway."  
"Good point." There was an awkward silence before Aisha broke it.  
"… Now what? Are we just going to lounge around for the rest of the day?"

No one answered the Dimension Witch's question until another awkward silence later.

**Elrios Bay**

**Classes  
Elsword: Infinity Sword  
Aisha: Void Princess  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander  
Eve: Code Empress  
Chung: Iron Paladin**

… _When was the last time I visited Elrios Bay? It could have been 20 years…_ Raven had already forgotten everything about this particular place, but the scenery was still something to admire. Still, he could not ignore the extremely excited elf beside him.  
"Wow… it's so cool!" On the way, Rena could barely hold down her energy, as she had never seen a real beach before in her entire life.

_And how old is she? Hundreds of years old?_ They must have looked awkward, being internationally famous for their fighting skill, and then seen coming down to the beach on a day off. Elsword wore a simple red T-shirt and matching shorts, Aisha wore her usual Void Princess attire, Rena also wore a dress, this time with leaves. Chung also donned a shirt, except his was blue, and his shorts were white.

Even Eve did not wear her usual regal dress, instead having a plain white one. Oberon and Ophelia stood at her side, carrying the majority of the towels and a large umbrella for shelter and shade. Raven was suddenly self-conscious. Usually, he had his Crow Mercenary uniform on, and was seen as more serious in the Elgang. Instead, all he had was a button-up shirt and shorts, and the lack of leg armour and plated metal shoes was making him feel lighter than usual. The Elgang all wore sandals, except for the Code Empress, who wore light shoes.

A sudden strong breeze blew in, and several palm trees that were nearby swayed slightly along with it.  
"Let's start setting up!" Rena ran into the sun-warmed sand and everyone else chased after her, almost not being able to keep up due to the Wind Sneaker's mana-powered legs. Elsword almost fell face-first into the sand.

"Hey, wait up! Stop running so fast!" Elrios Bay was huge, giving them a lot of space to spread out. The general public went about in their own business, not noticing that the Elgang was here.  
"Find a suitable space and spread out the towels on the sand. Also put up the umbrella." Eve's monotone voice reached Oberon and Ophelia, who nodded obediently.

The servants had also brought a beach chair for their queen, and the umbrella was also specifically for her. The Code Empress sat down on the chair and leaned back, already beginning to relax. Everyone that she was not the kind of person to be energetic and playful, which was an almost polar opposite to Rena. The Wind Sneaker was running along the sand, enjoying the sunny weather that they were having, until a certain bat had to throw sand at her.

"Hey!" Angkor flew away cackling, with the elf unable to catch him; the sand was slowing her down. Raven watched all of this, before Elsword poked him on the human arm.  
"Are you going to take off your shirt or what?" The Veteran Commander stiffened slightly.  
"Hmm?"  
"We're at a beach!" The Infinity Sword almost added an insult at the end of the sentence. "You've been walking around without a shirt for quite a long time, you know."

"I think I would like to see how much you built on yourself, considering how much I have been telling you to train."  
"Well, how about if I strip, you do it too?" The wording made the atmosphere feel a little awkward.  
"Everyone already knows what I look like without a shirt."

"Raven, that was years ago. You probably would have gotten a lot more muscle now." Elsword teased, and Raven held back a groan.  
"Hey, Rena, you should put on some sunscreen." Chung took out a bottle of the white substance from a bag. "Otherwise you'll get sunburnt, and that's pretty annoying and painful. Personal experience."

"Thanks, Chung." The Wind Sneaker was again distracted as she ran over to the Iron Paladin, who was applying sunscreen on himself.  
"Well, it's getting hot, so I think I'll just…" Rena slipped off her dress, revealing a bikini with green flowers. Raven was on the way to get sunscreen too, but the sight of the lack of clothes made him look away, hoping that his face wouldn't heat up.

After taking a deep breath and composing himself, the Veteran Commander took out the second bottle of sunscreen that they had brought along and began to apply it to his face, neck and legs, realising that he could not get it on his right arm. He also had to be careful not to get any of the white substance on his hair, which was flowing in the constant wind and not annoying him.

"Trying not to be perverted, right?" Elsword smirked as he approached, having watched all of that. Again, Raven held back a groan.  
"Elsword, please stop."  
"Hey, Raven, do you need sunscreen?" Rena turned towards the Veteran Commander, holding up the bottle of sunscreen that she had just finished using.

"I just applied some."  
"Need help on your right arm?"  
"Actually… yes." The half-Nasod replied awkwardly while the elf approached him with a smile, and he was automatically reading. _Keep calm, keep calm…_ The Infinity Sword walked over to the Void Princess and the two began to communicate quietly. It was obvious that they were plotting something, but the Veteran Commander's mind was already occupied.

He naturally tensed as Rena began to rub in the sunscreen, and Raven was trying to direct his mind away from the hand on his arm.  
"Okay, done." The Wind Sneaker poked the Veteran Commander in the cheek when he did not react.  
"You're cute when you blush, you know." That only made his face turn redder.

Suddenly Angkor slammed into his face, almost knocking him over, and it clung there.  
"Mmmmph!" The stupid bat was also covering his mouth as well as his vision. There was minimum room to breathe, but at least he was not suffocating.  
"Go, Angkor!" Raven heard Elsword yell, making him more angry.  
"Mmmph!" The Veteran Commander wanted to tell Angkor to get its stupid body off his face, but he forgot that his mouth was covered.

He could hear Elsword and Aisha laughing some distance in front of him. He was also aware of the fact that the two could easily sneak up on him. Raven then heard Rena's laughter. _Damn it, I really am looking ridiculous._  
"Okay, let's do a deal, how about it?" Angkor spoke in a mocking tone, lifting itself slightly so the half-Nasod could talk.  
"Why would I want to make a deal with you?" '

"I'll get off your face, but you have to take off your shirt, otherwise I'm sticking back on." _Elsword and Aisha really were plotting this. _  
"… Fine. Now get off." _I don't really see why Elsword wants me to, but I guess it doesn't hurt._ At his words, the bat got off.  
"Unbutton slowly." Angkor commanded.

"You pervert. Especially if you made Aisha dress like that all the time." Raven shot back.  
"Otherwise she wouldn't have the power she has, right?" Angkor smirked. The Veteran Commander said nothing; he could not counter than, anyway. Not wanting the stupid bat to stick back onto his face, he obeyed, unbuttoning the shirt and taking it off, tossing it onto the grey towel that was lying on the sand.

Rena was close to getting a nosebleed. Yes, Raven had always had his chest exposed, but not his entire god damn upper body, which had been toned after years of training. He even had a six-pack now. She turned away, feeling her face heat up. Elsword and Aisha laughed at the elf's reaction.  
"I knew you two liked each other!" The Infinity Sword yelled. The Veteran Commander now desperately wanted to ruin the red-head's day. He suppressed a smirk as an idea came into mind.

"How about we train today, Elsword?" He stopped laughing.  
"Training? I thought today was meant to be a day off!" Elsword complained.  
"Now that this is a different environment, let's see if you can beat me this time." Raven knew how annoyed the Infinity Sword would get whenever he lost, and losing was a constant thing for him.

"Sure, why not? If it's a chance to beat you, I wouldn't ever turn it down." That trademark cocky grin came up on Elsword's features as he took off his own shirt, tossing it onto his red towel. _He would never learn to give up, but in a way, that's a good thing._  
"How about this? Neither of us have our usual weapons, so we'll just fight with what we have. And if any one of us gets wet or loses their balance we lose." The Infinity Sword suggested, shifting into a fighting stance. It was his best chance to humiliate his opponent in public.

"Fine by me." The Veteran Commander also shifted into a fighting stance, and this immediately caught the attention of everyone else at Elrios Bay.  
"Let's go, Conwell!" Elsword yelled, drawing out the bladed sheathe and charging at Raven. The latter turned transparent and rushed to the side at the last moment, making the Infinity Sword's slash miss. The Veteran Commander quickly switched directions of his Shadow Step before performing a backflip.

The red-head jumped into the air, avoiding napalm grenades that would have connected with his face. Using his opponent's vulnerability, Elsword summoned more Conwells, raining them down on Raven. Luckily he recovered on time; the Veteran Commander leapt back to dodge the attack before he took a stance and the vents on his Nasod arm opened up.  
"Revolver Cannon!" Just as the Infinity Sword landed, he immediately rushed to the side, almost falling over onto the sand.

After the attack finished, Raven recoiled backwards, his arm alight. Elsword used the chance to close distance, knowing that his opponent would have a disadvantage in close combat with his blade. The red-head unleashed a barrage of slashes, doing the best he could without his regular sword. His target blocked all the blows with the metal arm, and eventually they clashed.

The Infinity Sword gained strength and pushed the Veteran Commander off, causing his opponent to sail through the air. Elsword summoned more Conwells, sending them at Raven, but the latter deflected the blades with his arm before landing on the ground. Again, they charged at one another and the red-head performed a wide, horizontal slash. He never saw what was coming next.

The Veteran Commander slid with an outstretched leg, avoiding the slash and hitting Elsword in the shin. Just as the Infinity Sword was about to use his other foot to recover, something hit him hard in the stomach, and it wasn't Raven's metal arm. Now the red-head was the one who was sailing in the air, still recovering from the pain of the blow. Raven jumped up to meet him, about to land a punch that would send his opponent into the water.

Elsword recovered in time, kicking with both feet, the blow landing on Raven's side. The Veteran Commander fell, and the Infinity Sword was hoping that he would land on his back. Instead, the raven-haired man landed on his feet, the sand reducing the impact. However, now his feet were slightly stuck, and the red-head used this chance to send down more Conwells.

Raven dashed off towards the side, dodging the incoming blades. Elsword held back a groan before landing. The Veteran Commander stood still, as if taunting his opponent, and the red-head summoned another Conwell, using the two to dual-wield. He charged and at the last moment, Raven sidestepped, sweeping Elsword's legs with his foot. The Infinity Sword fell forward, but rolled, quickly getting onto his feet.

_I'll let him off. A roll isn't as bad as an actual fall._ The half-Nasod was not standing too far away, and performed a low sweeping kick aimed for the red-head's side. Elsword recovered fast enough to jump, avoiding the attack. Raven then dodged more blades before meeting the Infinity Sword with both hands armed. Before the red-head could attack, however, a high turning kick came at him, aiming for his head.

Elsword blocked the kick with the flat of Conwell before another, more forceful kick came to his other side. Soon, the Infinity Sword was dodging a barrage of kicks from the Veteran Commander himself. The former then blocked with both blades as Raven tried to finish his combo with a flaming punch.  
"What is with you and those kicks? You never kick."

Raven did not answer, instead doing a backflip, his foot sending Elsword up into the air again. Again the Veteran Commander rose up to meet him, ready to smash him into the sand. The Infinity Sword dodged the punch that came at him and hit his opponent with the flat of Conwell, sending him back towards the ground. Raven prepared to land on his hands, as he knew he was approaching the ground too fast to flip back onto his feet.

Suddenly, cold water washed over him, submerging him entirely. Saltwater was now going through his nose and his throat, causing the two airways to burn. At first, the Veteran Commander struggled for air before realising that the water was shallow, and he sat up, coughing up the water that had entered his lungs, and increasing the pain in his throat as he did so.

"I won! I won!" Raven could faintly hear Elsword celebrating his long-wanted victory as he continued to cough, fearing that he would eventually bring up blood.  
"Raven, are you okay?" Rena was beside him now, patting his back and helping him to his feet. It was only when the Veteran Commander stood when he stopped coughing. He was about to reply, but the burning in his throat prevented him from saying anything.

The Wind Sneaker led Raven back; his eyes were stinging so much that he had to keep them closed. Even like that, tears continued to spill out.  
"Don't rub your eyes. That'll make it worse." Finally the elf handed the half-Nasod a bottle of water, which he eagerly gulped down. Then she turned to the red-head, who was still rejoicing his victory alongside Aisha.

"You guys should be checking if Raven's okay!" Rena yelled.  
"Woah, woah, calm down. He's going to be fine." Elsword held his hands up defensively.  
"I'm fine, Rena. It's alright." The Veteran Commander's voice was hoarse, but still audible and understandable. The Wind Sneaker's anger disappeared.  
"You sure?"

Raven nodded, and stood up, putting the empty bottle down beside him. The vents on his Nasod arm opened, and at first, only steam came out before the flames burst. A little shake shook off the salt. Otherwise, he was still wet.  
"So, who taught you to kick like that?" The Infinity Sword faced the Veteran Commander.  
"The Wind Sneaker herself, of course." The half-Nasod allowed a smirk on his features.

Angkor wanted to wipe that smirk off his face, even if it didn't see it often. The bat, again, charged forward to latch itself on Raven's face. The Veteran Commander simply kicked, sending the poor thing flying. A small splash was heard.  
"Stop hitting Angkor like that!" Aisha yelled.  
"Unless he stops being annoying, then I'll stop."

The Void Princess hurried over to the water to make sure that bat hadn't drowned. Fortunately, and unfortunately for Raven, it was still alive.  
"Wow, we turned up to Elrios Bay pretty late. The sun is almost close to setting." Chung observed, and everyone else noticed how close the orb of light was to the horizon.  
"Let's stay and watch it." Rena suggested, as a breeze swept her long hair to the side.

It did not take long for the Elgang to finally settle down. _Being here as an adult really does make a difference._

**Skyress8619: I apologise for the least amount of updating. I am still unable to post the Killing story because of my beta-reader being busy, but I also am too, and it was because of school and piano that caused this update to arrive a lot later than intended. **

**Skyress8619: It is best to expect updates to be coming very, very slowly, even though I am approaching the term holidays of about two weeks, because I planned to dedicate the holidays to my Blade Master (which is still level 1) and cap it as soon as possible. Even just level 67 or 68 is alright; I am helping someone to run a grendizing service, but at the moment, all I am doing is running dungeons, and if I wish to help with the actual orders, I need a lot more characters to be successful. **

**Skyress8619: I may update about a month later, since this time is not very busy (three assignments and two tests in the same week, usually one after the other), but the work will peak at around late Term 3 – Early Term 4. **

**Skyress8619: And, that is all I have to say for now. **

**Skyress8619 has logged out. **


	5. Free Training

**Skyress8619 has logged in.**

**Skyress8619: Greetings, readers, and welcome to another chapter of the Soundtrack Collaboration. This time, we are using the home to all the theorycrafters and testers of Elsword, the Free Training Room. I hope you all know what it looks like, and if you do not know how to access it, you talk to Camilla and click "Free Training." Whenever I get new skills or combos, I usually try them out here. **

**Skyress8619: Onward to the chapter. **

**Classes:  
Elsword: Lord Knight  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Blade Master  
Eve: Code Nemesis  
Chung: Iron Paladin**

"Gigantic Slash!" Elsword readied his sword, a large aura appearing before he slashed, organising the attacks into powerful and fast combos. The rest of the Elgang watched with content; they had all come here to try out their new-found skills. Finally, the Lord Knight ended his combo with an upwards slice, the Training Monkey almost flying upwards into the air. The aura disappeared. To Elsword's dismay, the Training Monkey bore not even a single scratch from that attack.

"There has to be some sort of magic protecting that thing. We can never destroy it, even though it's just made of wood." The Lord Knight commented.  
"Now you need to work on your stamina." The Blade Master bluntly said.  
"But-"  
"You are obviously exhausted from using that, and what happens if you falter just for a split second?"

Elsword sighed. He knew the answer, and Raven knew that, too.  
"Let me try destroying the Training Monkey." Aisha stepped forward. All of them were still frustrated about their usual training dummy being indestructible. The Elemental Master approached the wooden thing, glaring at its own eyes. She only got a blank stare back.  
"Elemental Storm!" She slammed the bottom of her staff into the ground, causing icicles to erupt from the ground, slashing and freezing the Training Monkey.

A storm of lightning rained down, with some of the magical projectiles landing on the wooden dummy. Aisha then raised her staff, a tornado of fire whirling around her, and the smell of burning wood reaching her nose. Finally, she stopped the assault, panting from the amount of effort. The Training Monkey still stood triumphantly in front of her, as if taunting her to dare to hit it again. Again, not even a single scratch was on the damn wooden thing.

"That's the best I've got…" The Elemental Master backed off to let someone else test their skills on the dummy.  
"Alright, my turn." Rena walked forward, facing the Training Monkey, and glaring at it just like Aisha had.  
"Shooter Destiny!" The Grand Archer fired shots all around her, eventually the green arrows changing their path and landing on the wooden dummy.

She then leapt into the air, her bow increasing in size, and made a much larger, faster and more powerful shot that seemed to pierce through the Training Monkey. Even if the attack was short, it consumed a lot more mana and energy than the elf had expected, but she had enough left to stay standing. Rena expected to see a hole that the final arrow would have put into the wooden dummy, but there was none.

The Training Monkey had endured all the hard training that the Elgang had done, and it was still standing there today, and its condition had not changed at all ever since they saw it.  
"Okay, I'm done. Need to take a tiny break." The Grand Archer stepped back. _I can expect Extreme Blade to be a lot more tiring than I thought, then, even though it's such a short attack._ Raven readied his blade, facing the Training Monkey.

"Extreme Blade!" The Blade Master dashed through his target, then again, then again, slashing as fast as he could as he went, and also gaining altitude. Finally, he summoned a black hole, and from above, made a giant cut through the black hole, creating a short show of light and darkness. Again, the Training Monkey had no signs of damage at all. It really was exhausting, but still enough to fight and evade attacks.

"Allow me to test a new weapon that I have in possession." Eve spoke, and Raven promptly moved out of the way. The Nasod Queen faced the wooden dummy, the final calculations finishing in her mind.  
"Lunatic Scud!" A portal opened up above her and a large gun dropped down, slamming onto the ground next to Eve.

Stun disks shot out, electrifying the Training Monkey, and Nasod spears rained down from overhead, making pink explosions as they made contact with the target. Another gun fell from a portal overhead, shooting electron balls with exploded. A missile launcher unfolded, firing a barrage of exploding projectiles, and the gun below it firing electron balls. A spectacular display of explosions unfolded, shaking the wooden dummy. After the dust disappeared, it still stood in its original state.

"Majority of energy consumed in summoning weapons, target does not show evidence of damage." Eve stated aloud. "Training Monkey appears to be indestructible after many testings." She walked back towards the rest of the Elgang, not showing any signs of exhaustion. "All new skills beforehand appear to be extremely destructive against targets capable of sustaining damage. More training with these new skills is highly recommended to minimise energy lost and maximise annihilation."

"Alright, my turn." Chung declared rather excitedly, grinning as he walked in front of the Training Monkey. The Iron Paladin took a deep breath in and out to calm himself down and focus.  
"Doom Strike!" First he slammed his Destroyer into the ground, creating a small shockwave that was meant to stun his targets to prevent escape.

The wooden dummy only shook. He then jumped into the air and slammed down again, dealing a more powerful blow. Again, Chung jumped into the air, gaining mana for his final strike, and used all the force he had to crash the cannon onto the space in front of the Training Monkey. It was powerful enough to create a massive eruption of pink, blue and fire. It did not take the Iron Paladin much time to recover from the attack.

And after all of that, the damn wooden dummy stood triumphantly in the Free Training Room, still indestructible, still unbroken, still _perfectly fine._  
"I wonder if there's a secret to even putting an extra cut into the Training Monkey." The Grand Archer thought aloud.  
"There should be. And if there is, we should ask Camilla about it." Elsword answered.

"Why don't we go to Camilla right now? We're all a little tired, anyway. We can continue training afterwards." Chung suggested, and everyone agreed, before exiting the Free Training Room. _She'd better have something to say about that mysteriously indestructible Training Monkey._

**Skyress8619: I am completely aware of the fact that Grand Archer's Hyper Active has been renamed from Shooter Destiny to Hunter's Destiny. The Korean voice patch still remains as Shooter Destiny, so I kept it that way. **

**Skyress8619: Hyper Actives were otherwise somewhat recently released for Elsword NA, and I have to say that among my favourite Hyper Active Skills is Lunatic Scud. Another two are Extreme Blade and Burning Buster (I do not remember whether it is Buster or Burster in NA). I would prefer Infernal Arms to have more slashes when Raven slashes with the arm, though. **

**Skyress8619: Some of the flashy Hyper Actives are, unfortunately, some of the weaker ones. Abyss Angkor is one of my favourites too, but the damage is quite small compared to other Hyper Actives. The good side is that it is not difficult to land all the hits of this skill, and this seems to be the same with Lunatic Scud. Burning Buster is perhaps the most damaging (especially with Activate Overheat Mode and Awakening), but landing all hits relies on the target's size and positioning. **

**Skyress8619: As of the post date of this chapter, my own Veteran Commander is three Henir runs away from his Hyper Active, so I have yet to taste the satisfaction of annihilating Karis and other Secret Dungeon bosses with Burning Buster. **

**Skyress8619: And, that is all I have to say.**

**Skyress8619 has logged out. **


	6. Fountain of Healing

**Skyress8619 has logged in. **

**Skyress8619: Greetings, readers. We are now at the Fountain of Healing, a place where people cleanse their mind and body before entering the temple. I note that it is important to know the background information, and the main reason why I have yet to write the soundtracks for dungeons and their bosses is because I need to battle them again, or solo clear the dungeon (so I can go at any pace I want). **

**Skyress8619: This piece is personally one of my favourites; the calming effect is powerful, especially for someone like me who has anger issues. I will not say what they are now, but if you really do want to know, you can send me a PM. I do not remember if I said this in the beginning Author's Note, but I will not use unused soundtracks, although I do hear that they are good. **

**Skyress8619: I do not know about this myself, but, it may help to listen to the soundtrack as you read. Enjoy. **

**Classes:  
Elsword: Lord Knight  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander  
Eve: Code Empress  
Chung: Iron Paladin  
Ara: Sakra Devanam  
Elesis: Grand Master  
Add: Mastermind **

"Alright, we've cleared out the remainder of the Shadows." Elsword announced while the Elgang approached an unknown place. Everyone surveyed the area in front of them, finding no signs of any sort of darkness. "The Circular Waterway is still manifesting with the Shadows, so let's rest up here." The Elgang stepped out of the structure they were under, absorbing the view in front of them.

The only sound was the sound of the water running down a hill, creating a pool at the bottom, as opposed to the clashing of metal and the slicing of Shadows. A gentle breeze blew across the scene, swaying the hair of Rena, Raven, Chung, Elesis and Add slightly. However, the Mastermind could not comprehend as to why this scene was worth looking at, anyway.

"So, are we going to take a break or not?" His voice held a tone suggesting annoyance. Elesis sighed.  
"Yes we are, Add. You really need to learn to cherish sights like these." The hill towered over the Elgang, with tilted towers and buildings in the background. An arc stood over the top, and underneath the arc was where the water seemed to come from.

The silence that hung afterwards was not awkward at all; the calming atmosphere that the Mastermind had broken before was resumed.  
"Well, let's explore a little more." Aisha decided, walking along the path that led around the waterfall. The rest of the Elgang followed, not noticing how slowly they were travelling.  
"Is this place named anything, Chung?" Ara asked the Iron Paladin with curiosity.

"The Fountain of Healing. People would cleanse themselves here before entering the temple. They say that the water can heal you when you're tired." Of course he was familiar with all of this, being a descendent of a family of Guardians in Hamel. He could explore all he liked, as long as he was safe. "The water is safe; it stays pure because of some kind of magic. That was what my father told me, and I believed it. I still think it's true."

"Magic?" The word caught Aisha's attention. "Do you know any specifics?"  
"No." Chung replied, facing the waterfall, watching the blue liquid flow downwards and gathering at the bottom in a pool. It was almost hypnotising; he wanted to look at it and stay there for hours and hours. It had been a while when times were peaceful, and such quite places like this needed to be greatly cherished, especially because the Iron Paladin and his friends were fighters.

"Are we allowed to drink this water? I wish to test it." Eve asked. It seemed to be out of pure curiosity.  
"I'm not sure of the rules, but there really isn't anyone to care around here. You can if you want." Chung answered. "Speaking of that, I'm thirsty." He walked over to the pool of water, about to cup some of the liquid in his hands.

"Allow my servants to get it for you." The Code Empress told the Guardian. "Oberon, Ophelia, fetch me a cup of the water. Wait for me to deem it safe to drink." They still could not let their guard down; the Shadows could have easily contaminated the water. The servants nodded and did their queen's bidding, the requested cup of water arriving in Eve's hands in seconds. She sipped slowly.

"It is safe and pure, just as per Chung's words. Refill everyone's canteens." The servants rushed off again.  
"For now, let's rest and enjoy the atmosphere." Elsword called and walked over to the side of the pool, propping up his sword and sitting on the ledge. Aisha sat next to him, taking out a book as she did. Rena and Raven sat next to each other, not willing to start a quiet conversation.

Eve sat on one of her drones with her servants at her side; they had already finished their orders. Ara, who was usually quite energetic, sat still and looked up at the sky, watching the clouds slowly drift by. Elesis seated herself next to her brother, not wanting to engage in conversation, and drank a little water from her now full canteen. Add sat on his Nasod Dynamo, and a screen and projected touch keyboard appeared. He seemed to be making configurations and adjustments to his weapons, and occasionally a giggle would slip from his lips.

Chung found himself staring into the pool of water, staring at his reflection that was constantly disturbed by ripples. He was really starting to take in his appearance now; the dark tips on his hair had remained in almost the same position, but he had allowed his blonde hair to grow much longer. The Freiturnier had changed in design, and those same, blue eyes stared back at him with the same paw prints on the inside.

A memory began to return to him; the first time he had come to this place, the first time he had looked into the water like this…

_Surprisingly, Chung Seiker had not complained about a trip to the temple, although Helputt thought that the idea would bore his son. The little boy was only up to his father's waist, and he seemed to be a lot calmer than his peers. On the way, they encountered the Fountain of Healing. The ordinary as well as priests were gathered around the small waterfall.  
"Hey, dad, look! It's water! Can I please go swimming?" Chung jumped up and down in excitement; he had never had a chance to swim even though the capital city of Hamel was surrounded by water._

"_We didn't bring your swimmers, and no, otherwise you'll dirty the water." Helputt had to look down since Chung was so short. His son pouted.  
"But I haven't been swimming before!" He obviously did not understand, but he could not blame the child.  
"The water is kept clean and pure by magic." That directed Chung's mind off the idea of getting himself wet. _

"_Magic? Why did you never teach me to learn magic? Then I can clean everything up and beat all the bad guys!" The blonde boy whined, and Helputt knew that soon his son would, in his life, face the true reality of war and violence.  
"You can drink the water if the priests and priestesses let you." The White Colossus replied, almost ignoring his son's complaints. _

"_Okay, let's go! I'm thirsty." Chung was excited again and ran towards the Fountain of Healing, ahead of his father. Helputt simply smiled and ran after his son. The child stopped when he approached a thin crowd, unable to get past.  
"Dad, help me. I can't see the water."  
"What's the magic word?" _

_The future Iron Paladin pouted.  
"Please?"  
"Okay, I'll help." The White Colossus held his son in his arms and was about to make his presence obvious to the public when someone bumped into him.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Helputt…" _

_It was a woman who bumped into him, and she wore a hood and blue clothing. It only took a moment to recognise her.  
"Water Priestess," Helputt smiled. "It's nice to meet you here."  
"Likewise to you." The Water Priestess smiled back.  
"A child?" The White Colossus noticed a girl, older than Chung, standing beside the Water Priestess. _

"_Yes, she is my daughter." Chung, from his father's arms, eyed the girl with interest. "I decided to name her Sasha. I hope that she will carry my role as Water Priestess when she is old enough."  
"It is an honour to meet you, White Colossus." Sasha performed a curtsy, although her dress was a bit tight. Helputt laughed._

"_Oh no, you can just call me Helputt. And meet my son, Chung." At the mention of his name, the Seiker son waved. Sasha only smiled back.  
"Did you come here to receive blessings and to pray?" The Water Priestess asked the White Colossus."  
"I also came here as a brief visit. Chung here was thirsty. Is he allowed to drink from the Fountain of Healing?" _

"_Of course. The water here is very healthy." Sasha tugged her mother's dress.  
"Can I drink too? I'm thirsty as well."  
"Alright, dear." The Water Priestess politely asked some crowd members to move aside to allow two thirsty children through. Helputt let his son onto the edge of the pool, and Chung stared into the water, curious at his reflection. _

"_Look! My reflection keeps changing!" The White Colossus could only assume that the young Seiker was talking about the distortions that were caused by the ripples of the constantly flowing water.  
"Be careful, Chung, don't fall in!" As if on cue, Chung lost his balance and was about to fall face-first into the water. _

_Luckily Helputt was beside him and caught him before he could get himself wet.  
"Thanks, Dad." Those words made the White Colossus smile. He then watched his son as the young Seiker eagerly drank from the pool, using his hands to scoop up the water. Sasha was drinking in a similar manner; except she looked more elegant.  
"At least Chung still has his manners." The Water Priestess nudged the White Colossus. "You should have seen some other boys who were here._

_Helputt laughed.  
"I think I feel fortunate that Chung is such a good boy, even when he's excited. But, he's still a child." _

_And the future Iron Paladin was too immersed in drinking the water, not knowing that he should be cherishing this moment of being with his father._

Helputt was gone. The demons had taken him away a while ago. Chung could not remember when, but he remembered clearly on what happened that day when he was visiting the temple with his father. _Wow, I really do miss him…_ The Iron Paladin let a tear go, and its impact on the water surface created more ripples, further distorting the reflection.

"Chung, is there something wrong?" He quickly looked up towards the owner of the voice. It was Rena. Even though she had turned colder over the times, she still cared for her friends.  
"I'm fine. Just remembering Helputt…" The Night Watcher immediately understood.  
"I think all of us are recalling memories right now; even I was." The Veteran Commander spoke up. The Iron Paladin looked around at all of his friends. Almost all of them wore an expression of deep thought.

"Well, let's just enjoy the moment now." Rena went back to thinking, and so did Raven. Chung continued to eye his friends, and it did not take long for the Night Watcher to drift off to sleep, leaning on the Veteran Commander. The older brother figure jerked slightly, an action alien for his character, and relaxed when he found the elf resting on his shoulder. The half-Nasod let her lie there.

_They look so cute together; it's hard to believe that they haven't confessed yet._ Chung held back a smirk before looking back into the pool of water. He wondered what his father would say to him now. About his skills, his friends, his height, his hair, his experiences… The Iron Paladin closed his eyes and when he opened them a second later, he swore he saw the reflection of the White Colossus instead of his own.

_Father, trust me, I would never be able to take your title. No matter how skilful I could get, no matter how big I could grow, no matter how good I was at leading. I would never be as good as you. _

And somewhere, in the back of his mind, he remembered his father encouraging him while he trained.

_I dare you to do your best. To become an even greater legend than the White Colossus._

**Skyress8619: That is all for the Fountain of Healing. I decided to centre the chapter on Chung, because this is an area in Hamel. I do have to admit that I am biased when it comes to writing, as I tend to focus on Raven, but it does feel nice to be writing about someone else other than him. **

**Skyress8619: Thank you to those who followed and made a favourite not only to this series, but to me as an author. I feel I do not even deserve it for the lack of writing skill I have, but I will accept it nonetheless. I do write for the enjoyment of it, mainly, but also to improve my writing skills, as I will have to face tasks that involve creative writing. I really do hate writing analytical essays about novels, especially if I do not like them. **

**Skyress8619: Feedback is greatly appreciated, whether it is by PM or a review. Something about this series, or my writing style as a whole, or some mistakes I make, or some issues I have with the personalities of the characters I write. I will accept them. So, I already feel guilty making a request because I am being hypocritical, but please review. As you all know, it helps the authors here improve. **

**Skyress8619: If there are any opinions about any of the soundtracks I have written for so far or are in progress, then I will accept them as well. And… that is all I have to say for now. **

**Skyress8619 has logged out. **


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